1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of caching and, in particular, to a system and method for dynamically tuning the size of a cache stored in a shared memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cache for web-based content is stored in a shared memory with other applications and data. In a conventional system, the size of the cache may be fixed at a particular value in an effort to achieve a desired hit ratio. When the desired hit ratio is not achieved the system may be manually reconfigured to use a different value for the cache size. The frequency of a change to the cache size is typically once a day or once every few days. Determining the optimal cache size is important to balance cache performance, measured by the hit rate, while minimizing the amount of the shared memory that is consumed by the cache.
As the foregoing illustrates, there is a need in the art for an improved technique for tuning the size of the cache to minimize the amount of the shared memory consumed by the cache while achieving a desired cache hit ratio.